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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27404839">Homecoming</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeep_Girl/pseuds/Jeep_Girl'>Jeep_Girl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:34:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,695</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27404839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeep_Girl/pseuds/Jeep_Girl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>My friend asked me to write a one shot for her depicting some cute father/daughter bonding between Buffy and Giles. This is what I ended up writing. She loved it and said I should post it. :)</p>
<p>These are a few scenes between Buffy and Giles that take place over the years after leaving Sunnydale...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rupert Giles &amp; Buffy Summers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Homecoming</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Where is she?” Giles says gruffly, as he bursts through the door. Xander, currently sporting a rainbow eyepatch, runs up to hug him. Not having seen each other for over three years, the hug is somewhat expected to Giles, but he has come so accustomed to keeping his distance from people. So, he tenses at first, but only for a second, before he releases a breath and hugs the man back.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally pulling away, holding Giles at the shoulders, Xander looks Giles over carefully with his one good eye. “You look good old man.” But before Giles can quip back, he says, “She is this way,” and turns to head down a hallway. Giles shakes his head as he follows in silence. He thinks to ask where the others are… Willow, Dawn, Faith… the other slayers… but he isn’t sure he wants to know… and his main concern is Buffy… he didn’t come out of hiding for nothing. Giles thinks back to that fateful day that feels so long ago now…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Giles was helping to train a new batch of recruited slayers with Faith and Buffy shortly after leaving Sunnydale… Their intel though… wasn’t correct… And they were ambushed. The vampires had been working with a horde of demons being led by some evil demigod they were not prepared for… Giles took it upon himself to bind the creature to him using an ancient magical curse… And so, he went into hiding away from humans to starve the demigod. Giles knew he could not risk being around anyone, especially Buffy and the other slayers while this creature could influence him or infect others around him… Giles gave Buffy a magical device that could be used to contact him in case of a dire emergency… </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What none of them know is that six weeks ago, Giles successfully removed his connection to the demigod and locked it away. He was still reeling from everything he had seen and done being connected to the demigod that he was afraid to reach out… but when Buffy activated the magical talisman connected to Giles… He had reacted without thinking and immediately left to come to her aid… Because when your daughter is in trouble, you help her out, no matter what you have going on in your own head, in your own life. And by blood or not, Buffy is his daughter. She has been for a long time.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They reach a wooden door at the end of a long corridor. Xander smiles gently at Giles. “She’s in here.” He gives him a pat on the back and then heads back down the hall, leaving Giles alone at the door. He sees Xander go into one of the rooms several doors away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Giles takes in a steady breath before knocking. It’s been three years since he has seen Buffy. Three long years. And he has no idea what kind of shape she will be in. Xander gave him no information of her condition. But it must be bad for her to use the communication device he left her. A few seconds go by as he hears someone approach the door and open it just a crack to peer out, before their eyes go wide in surprise and they rip the door wide open.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Willow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She lunges herself into his arms. “You’re home!” She exclaims, her small frame being engulfed by Giles’ wide shoulders. He smiles affectionately at the welcoming, as he can also feel slightly her magically warmth enveloping them both. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Willow, it’s so good to see you.” He voices as they finally pull away from one another. Willow can see the new wrinkles on his face that have come along over the past few years. She nods at his heartwarming comment, knowing he means it dearly. “Where is she?” Giles knows Willow doesn’t need clarification for the question. They all know why he has come out of hiding now. And if Willow is in the same room as Buffy, she is likely trying to use magic to fix whatever is wrong with Buffy.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m here,” a voice says from inside the room. Willow steps aside to let Giles enter the room. He steps in and looks around, finally finding Buffy sitting in a corner at a dresser that has a mirror attached to it, putting on makeup… smiling at Giles as she looks at him through her reflection in the mirror. It’s then that Giles freezes and takes in his surroundings finally. Looking around, he sees Willow is dressed in a simple dark purple dress. And it finally registers with Giles that Xander was wearing a tux. Buffy is wearing leggings and a t-shirt, but there is unmistakable a white dress hanging up on the bedpost. He glances at Willow before looking back at Buffy, who has gotten up from her seat and is approaching Giles now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I know you said to only contact you in case of a dire emergency… But… who else was I going to ask to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Giles, looking utterly in shock, stutters and stammers without saying any real words for a few seconds. Buffy smiles and blushes as she finally reaches where he has been frozen in place.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Giles… We have been through so much together… and you have always watched out for me… always had my back… always had my best interest at heart… always treated me like a daughter… you are like a father to me… So, I would really, really love for you to walk me down the aisle and give me away today.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Giles, overcome with emotion after having to suppress it for so long, answers by pulling Buffy in for a hug as tears fill his eyes. After a few second, he whispers in her ear “Of course I will give you away Buffy. It would be an honor.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They finally pull away and he can see how brightly she is smiling. It dawns on him in that moment that he has no idea who Buffy is even marrying.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, who is the lucky man?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy smirks, “Yeah, about that…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy sits down at the designated spot, having sufficiently scoped it out, and prepares to wait. She is early for once and chuckles to herself at having finally beat Giles to one of their yearly reunions. She checks her phone, knowing the three slayers in training she brought with her are doing perimeter sweeps that are probably unnecessary. But it’s training and she can never be too careful these days. That is why she had to dye her hand dark brown in the first place. And why she is currently wearing a baseball hat and aviator sunglasses. Because you can never be too careful. She smiles as a man approaches her wearing the same baseball cap and sunglasses – Giles. He slides into his seat and gives her a loving smile. She reaches out and gives his hand a firm grasp before releasing it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s so good to see you, Giles,” she says.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“How have you been Buffy? Tell me everything.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The two spend hours together, regaling each other of their lives for the past year. Of course, Buffy has continued to train the slayers alongside Faith, who helps her lead. They continue their mission of taking out as many vampires and demons and other evil creatures as they can. Giles has spent time back in Europe trying to learn more about the ancient magics with Willow and some other wiccans. It has been difficult since the Watchers disbanded and tried to destroy all their materials and resources. But they are slowly putting the knowledge back together and restoring it to its rightful place in a secret library.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I really do enjoy our yearly reunions Buffy,” Giles remarks, as always, towards the end of their conversations.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy smiles at him. “What if we didn’t have to do this though?” She asks him cautiously. Giles gives her a questioning look. “What do you mean?” He asks her after a moment of silence passes between them. She takes a breath in, “Well, I’ve been thinking of taking some time off for a while… I thought you could also use some time off… Maybe we could just take some time off together… you know, some father/daughter bonding time.” Ever since her wedding five years ago, Buffy has taken more comfort in referring to their relationship in terms of the familial relations, something Giles, though he hasn’t said it, finds overly endearing and absolutely loves.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Giles gives Buffy a half-smile as he thinks over her proposition. “Did you have a particular trip in mind?” He asks her, already having his mind made up. They spent so much of their time together fighting one big bad after another, or training for the big bad guys. To be able to spend some quality time together not doing that would be something Giles would cherish very much.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ve always wanted to see Australia…” Buffy says with a smile, causing Giles to chuckle slightly. “Australia it is,” he says with an affirming nod. They agree to meet back here in a week for their trip, giving them plenty of time to set up things to run smoothly in their absence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For Buffy, she knows this is a long overdue trip. And while she could have invited all of the gang to come with. At the end of the day, she realized what she wanted more than anything was to simply spend time with her surrogate father. After leaving Sunnydale, he has been one of the people she sees the least. Plus, Buffy knows from Willow how hard Giles has been pushing himself with their work, feeling partially responsible for the actions of the Watchers Council. So, she is hopeful that this trip will give him a much-needed break he won’t admit to anyone he actually needs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For Giles, his heart radiates with warmth from the genuine invite from Buffy for this trip. He knows they both wish they could see each other more, while also knowing they both have callings for their work that take them away from each other most of the time. So, this trip will give them a chance to reconnect with each other. He knows that while they will do plenty of sightseeing and relaxing and such, they will also likely continue training. If for no other reason than the simple reminiscence it will bring for them both.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy crashes through the door, swinging her axe and killing the two vampires in one forceful swing. It takes her another ten minutes to fight through the other dozen vampires before finding the room where Giles has been tied up and knocked out. He is still unconscious when she finds him. He starts to come to when she lightly shakes his shoulders and says his name several times. Aside from being tied up, he has some gashes and cuts on his arms and torso. Buffy isn’t sure if he has any serious injuries yet</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“There you are… hey, Giles… stay with me… you ok?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He mumbles something incoherent, still trying to get all of his faculties to fully function again while Buffy works on untying him. She helps him stand up and then he leans on her heavily for support as they make their way back out of the vampire nest. Buffy has to practically carry him back to a nearby hideout, at which point he quickly passes out again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When he finally comes to, he is laying on a couch with a cloth on his forehead. His cuts have all been cleaned and the deeper ones have been bandaged. He attempts to sit up but winces at the intense pain that shoots through his body at the sudden movement.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’d stay laying down if I were you,” he hears Buffy say before he sees her appear. She walks around the couch, apparently having been behind it on the other side of the room. “How are you feeling,” she asks, setting tea down on the coffee table nearby.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Giles grimaces as he answers. “I feel like I got hit by a very big truck…”. Buffy gives Giles a half-smile before she looks away, staring off at the floor, clearly lost in thought for a moment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I can’t believe those vampires went after you like that. They had to know I would come for you…” Buffy says, barely above a whisper.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Giles eyes her curiously as he attempts to take in the surrounds of the room, or at least what he can see of the room from laying down on the couch. It’s clearly a safehouse that hasn’t been used in a while. There is dust on many of the surfaces. The window has a shade drawn down. There isn’t much in the room beside the couch, coffee table, and a chair. He assumes there is a kitchen behind the couch given the tea.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Where are the other slayers?” He asks, surprised they haven’t been interrupted by other people by now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy gives Giles a guilty look. “Um… there aren’t any here with me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What do you mean?” Giles asks, suddenly afraid he knows exactly where this is going.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, we got the alert you had been taken and the girls were out on a mission with Faith. The newest recruits are not ready for a field operation yet. There was no time to retract slayers to your location. So that left just me…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Buffy… you didn’t…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy gives him a stern look. “I did. And I always will. It was you Giles.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The finality of the statement shuts Giles up. He knows exactly what she means. He will always come running if Buffy is in trouble. His life be damned. Giles takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, knowing that there is no talking Buffy out of these types of hero rescue missions when it comes to the people she loves. That’s just who she is, as a person. You cannot change that about a person. And it’s one of the reasons Giles and Buffy have had such a strong bond all these years. They understand that about each other. A father will do anything to help his daughter. And a daughter will do anything for her father.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy walks to the lone stone, clouds looming overhead. Buffy, now quite aged herself, has some gray in her hair that she now keeps somewhat short, with it sitting just at her shoulders. She has several new scars, some visible on her face, some hidden by her clothing. She walks with a slight limp. She sits down next to the stone, next to him, just like she does every year on this date, on their day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey dad… It’s been an interesting year, let me tell you. Listen to the shenanigans Faith got into…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Buffy spends a few hours telling Giles about her life, like she does every year. Even since he died, old and gray and happy, with Buffy beside him, she continues their tradition, knowing how much he loved traditions. She has grown to love them too, particularly this one. She comes alone, every year, for the sole purpose of sitting here all day and rehashing her life for him. Even after five years of this, she knows that some of the others think she is kind of silly for doing it. But that’s because they don’t know. They don’t know she can feel him, she can feel Giles there, with her, listening to her. And sure, she doesn’t get to hear from Giles about his life – his afterlife life. But that’s ok. She has enough going on to update him for them both. And so, she does. She tells him the adventures of the slayers and how Willow is doing as the leader of the wiccans now. She tells him about Xander and Dawn. She even updates him about Angel and Spike. Because Buffy knows, that somehow, Giles can hear her and understand her and be there with her, for her, when she comes to visit him every year. It’s like coming home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know what you think! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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